Office buildings, homes, factories, food preparation facilities, storage facilities and other structures often times are not well kept or go abandoned for periods of time. Many of these buildings are exposed to moisture due to climatic conditions, environmental conditions, floods, leaking roofs, failures in plumbing systems and other reasons. If a building is neglected, undesirable substances may accumulate on various surfaces including floors, walls and ceilings. Undesirable substances refer to any of mold, bacteria, fungi, viruses, mildew, allergens, spores, yeasts, mycotoxins, and endotoxins. As undesirable substances accumulate, they may become airborne within the structures.
Occupants of these buildings, such as hotel guests, students, office employees, and residents, may become ill. The occupants may become nauseated by foul odors emanating from the undesirable substances. The undesirable substances may render the room uninhabitable. Health is a factor for employee and student performance. More frequent illness results in increased medical costs for individuals. More frequent illness results in lost productivity for businesses.